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2 Sheets-Sheet 1. B. ATWATER. MILKI'NG MACHINE.

No. 498,947. Patented June 6, 1893.

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B. ATWATER. MILKING MACHINE.

o. 498,947. Patented June 6, 1893..

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BRYAN ATWATER, OF BERLIN, CONNECTICUT.v

,MiLKlNG -MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 498,947, dated June 6, 1893.

Application filed March 16, 1891- Serial 110,335,237. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BRYAN ATWATER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Berlin, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Milking-Machines, of which the following is a specification. V

My invention relates to improvements in milking machines and the objects of my improvement are simplicity of construction, and convenience and general efficiency of the machine.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of my milking machine with broken lines indicating a change in the position of some of the parts. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same with some of the parts in vertical section, said drawing also show.- ing one of the receiving cups and conductor. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of a portion of said machine on line x-oo of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical section on line g of Fig. 2, showing a portion of the machine. Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal section of a portion of said machine illustrating more particularly the rods that operate the pressure plates, the central parts being shown in side elevation. Fig. 6, is a detached plan view of one of the pull plates for said rods, said Figs. 5 and 6 being on a scale stilllarger than Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is side elevation of one of the receiving cups. Fig. 8 is a vertical section of a portion of said machine on line z z of Fig. 2, together with a pair of receiving cups on one of the pressure plates, and Fig. 9 is a side elevation of a modified form of a pair of pressure plates and their operating rods specially adapted for milking the off side at the same time that another pair of pressure plates are operating on the nigh side. The last three figures are on the same scale as Fig. 4.

A designates the frame of the machine which also serves as a stool for the operator. It is provided with adjustable legs 10 which are received in hollow legs or sockets 11 and held in their adjusted position by means of any suitable fastening device, as, for instance, the set-screws 12, Fig.2.

At the forward part of the frame A is a vertically swinging frame 13 that is mounted upon a horizontal axis as at 14, and which carries the laterally swinging frame 15, said frame being mounted on the vertically swinging frame 13 on any suitable hinge or pivots as, for instance, the bolts 16. The vertically swinging frame 13 has its lower end heldforward by means of springs 42 connected therewith and to the sockets of the legs at that end of the machine. 7 this laterally swinging frame 15 there is an upright socket 17 hearing a vertically adjustable standard 18 that is secured in its adjusted position by means of the set-screw 19. The upper end of this vertically adjustable standard has secured to it a bracket 20 which is pivoted thereto by the bolt 21 and provided at its lower end with a curved slot 22, Fig. 4, through which a set-screw 23 passes into the upper end of. the standard 18 whereby said bracket is secured in place by said set-screw 23, and, when said set-screw is loosened, may be adjusted by tilting it to either side on the bolt 21 as may be desired.

The bracket 20 carries at its upper end a socket 24 which is dovetailed in front View and within which is received the dovetailed ways or slide 25, said socket being provided with a set-screw 26 for holding the ways or slide in its adjusted position. This dovetailed slide 25 has secured to it the frame 27 that supports the pressure plates 28 and 29 and their operating mechanism. The plate 28 is stationaryon said frame, while the plate 29 is movable. These plates are operated by means of divided rods 30 and 31 that pass through the frame 27 and to which the movable pressure plate 29 is loosely connected. Each pressure plate is provided with a soft or yielding pad 32 of rubber or other suitable material. The two parts of the divided rods have their ends abutting against each other,

in the normal action of the machine, as shown in Fig. 5, and they are thus held by means of springs 33 whose ends are secured to pins 34 in the respective parts of said divided rods. These two parts of the divided rods are also further connected by means of pull plates 35, the same being secured to the right hand pins 34 in said Fig. 5, by receiving said pin in a At the forward end of [CO I simple perforation, while said pull plates at the opposite end are slotted as at 36 for the reception of the pins 34, whereby the springs 33 may yield and allow the two parts of the rods to separate for a given distance after which the pins 34 will strike the end of the slots 36 and limit the separation of said two parts to prevent the movable pressure plate and connected parts of the rods from being pulled out of place. The length of the slot can be regulated as may be desired and instead of having a long slot at one end, two shorter slots, one at each end of said plates, will accomplish the same purpose. The inner ends of the rods and 31 connect with the grooved cams 37 and 38 Fig. 2, preferably by friction rollers as in ordinary connections of analogous parts with a grooved cam. These cams 37 and 38 are formed in the side face of a wheel 39 on the shaft which is operated by any suitable means, as, for instance, by the crank 41.

I propose to use with each pair of pressure plates a pair of receiving cups 43, each provided with a hook or clasp 44 for attaching them to the stationary pressure plate 28 as best shown in Figs. 7 and 8, said receiving cups being connected by branch pipes to a pipe or flexible tube 45 which may be of any desired length and extended rearwardly through suitable supports 46 to a covered pail or other receptacle.

The pressure plates and frame shown in Fig. 9 are like those shown in the other figures and hereinbefore described, excepting that theyiare relatively higher on the frame and the outer ends of the rods 30 and 31 arecurved upwardly as at 47 and loosely connected with the movable pressure plate on the outside. These pressure plates are operated in precisely the same manner as in the construction first described excepting as they are mounted relatively higher upon the frame.

The operation is as follows:-The swinging frame15 is turned to one side or the other as indicated in Fig. 1, and the frame 27 carrying the pressure plates 28 and 29 is also turned in its socket 17 to bring said plates substantially in front of the operator. Ordinarily the cows teats are farther apart in front than behind and therefore the adjustment just described will enable the pressure plates to stand at the desired angle to the front edge of the frame or stool, so as to bring them into alignment with the two off-side teats when the machine is set as shown by full lines in Fig. 1. The laterally swinging frame 15 and the frame 27 swinging in its socket 17 will permit the inclination of the plates to correspond with the alignment of the teats on either the off orthe nigh side and at the same time have said plates substantially central with the front of the machine. The broken lines in Fig. 1, indicatethe pressure plates as adjusted to an angle for milking the nigh side teats. The pressure plates are brought to the proper height approximately by the adjustment of the legs 10 in their sockets, orby the adjustment of the standard 18 in its socket. Ordinarily the height would be adjusted by the latter adjustment alone, but oftentimes it may be desirable to use both adjustments. Furthermore the height can be slightly adjusted by merely depressing the pressure plates and causing the whole to swing in the frame 13 against the force of the springs 42 and then permit said springs to press said plates upward gently against the udder during the milking operation. The pressure plates are tilted edgewise vertically to bear equally upon a front and rear teat by adjusting the bracket 20 by means of setscrew 23, swinging said bracket and the frame supported thereon to one side or the other in order to tilt said plates in case the front teat is higher than the rear one as is generally the case. The pressure plates and their frame may be adjusted from front to rear on the slide or ways 25 by loosening and tightening the set-screw 26. The receiving cups are arranged between the pressure plates one upon each side of the rods 30 and 31 as shown in Fig. 8, and when the machine is properly adjusted as before described, the swinging frame 13 is turned by depressing the pressure plates, the springs 42 yielding to such depression, and as they rise again inserting two .of the cows teats into the cups between said plates. The crank isthen turned fol-operating the plates. In this operation, the upper edges of the plates are brought upon the parts between said plates-with the full force of the springs 33, the pins 34 not reaching the ends of the slots36, the upper edge ofthe movable pressure plate 29 beingin advance of its lower edge substantially as shown in Fig. 2. The yielding springs that connect the two parts of the divided rods will prevent the plates from being brought together with force enough to hurt the cow. The continued motion of the cam will allow thisupper edge to remain nearly stationary, when the teats are firmly compressed, while the cam 38 and spring 33 are pulling upon the divided rod 31, thereby swinging the movable pressure plate as if fulcrumed by the compressing point at its upper edge, until the lower edge is moved far enough to bring said plate substantially parallel to the stationarypressure plate, the closing of the plates being ineffect from the top down to press out all the milk, quite analogous to the operation of milking by hand, or the pressure of a calfs mouth. The cams then release the pressure upon both rods and the movable pressure plate is carried away from the stationaryplate maintaining its parallel position during said movement until it reaches about the point represented by the broken lines at the right hand end of Fig. 2. The cams then act again to advance the top edge of the movable pressure plate and so on repeating the operation before described.

The machine thus far described aside from the modification shown in Fig. 9, is intended for use when milking only two teats at a time.

If, however, it is desired to milk four teats at 1 a time, this may be done by substantially duplicating the pressure plates, their frame and operating mechanism as before described, excepting that the plates are relatively higher upon the frame as shown in Fig. 9. This second machine with the higher plates may be used for milkingthe off side while the other machine is at the same time being used for milking the nigh side, the operator turning one crank with each hand. Bringing the plates relatively higher on the frame enables this frame and its rods to pass under the pressure plates on the nigh side and thereby permit them both to be used at the same time, but the operation of the modified form shown in Fig. 9 is the same as that hereinbefore described except that itreaches under the pressure plates on the nigh side of the cow.

While I have only shown and. described one form of milking machine proper, that is to say-the pressure plates, their frame and operating mechanism, it is evident that the parts below the frame 27 and even the horizontal adjustment of said frame would operate the same in connect-ion with other milking machines and therefore for all purposes of a combination with said parts other milking machines will be considered as the equivalent of said plates frame and operating mechanism.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination of a frame, a pair of opposing pressure plates, two connecting rods, one secured to the upper part of one of said plates and the other secured to the lower part thereof, and the differently formed cams 37, and 38, for operating said rods with unlike movements, substantially as described and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination of a suitable frame, the divided rods 30 and3l, the pressure plates, one of which is connected with said rods, the operating cams and springs 33 connected to the two parts of said rods, substantially as described and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination of asuitable frame, the divided rods 30 and 31, the pressure plates, one of which is connected with said rods, the operating cams, springs 33 connected to the two parts of said rods, and the pull plates 35 for limiting the yielding motion of said divided rods, substantially as described and for the purpose specified.

4. The combination of a frame, a pair of pressure plates one of which is fixed upon said frame, two rods to which the other of said plates is secured, the operating cams, and yielding connecting devices, substantially as described and for the purpose specified.

5. The combination of a frame carrying milking devices and their operating mechanism, with a supporting bracket and horizontal ways or guides formed on said frame and bracket for tilting said frame laterally on.

said standard, substantially as described and for the purpose specified.

7. The combination of a support, the socket 17, on said support, the standard 18 mounted in said socket, fastening mechanism for securing and adjusting said standard within said socket, and the bracket 20 carrying milking devices and mounted on said standard,

whereby said milking devices may be swung.

horizontally, and adjusted vertically, substantially as described and for the purpose specified.

8. The combination of a support, a laterally swinging frame 15 pivotally mounted on said support by its inner end, and a vertically adjustable standard carrying milking devices and connected with said frame by a vertical socket or joint in the outer end thereof and devices for securing said standard at difierent heights in said socket, substantially as described and for the purpose specified.

9. The combination of a support, the vertically swinging frame 13 mounted thereon, and the laterally swinging frame carrying milking devices and mounted on said vertically swinging frame, substantially as described and for the purpose specified.

10. The combination of a support or stool,

the frame 13 carrying milking devices and pivoted on said stool bya horizontal axis, and

springs connected with said frame and stool for holding said frame in its normal position, substantially as described and for the purpose specified.

11. The combination of a support, a vertically swinging frame mounted on said support, a laterally swinging frame 15 pivotally mounted at its inner end on said vertically swinging frame, and a standard carrying milking devices, said standard being pivoted to said laterally swinging frame 15 by a socket or joint in the outer end thereof, substantially as described and for the purpose specifled.

BRYAN ATWATER.

\Vitnesses:

JAMES SHEPARD, JOHN EDWARDS, Jr.

IIO 

